Jeffrey Lane "Jeff" Flake (b. December 31, 1962, in Snowflake, Arizona) is a Republican member of the U.S. Senate representing Arizona. Flake was first elected to the Senate in 2012. He previously served in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2013.

Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies[8]

Issues

Legislative actions

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[9] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Flake's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[10]

National security

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Syria authorization

On September 4, 2013, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee narrowly approved an authorization for President Obama to use limited force against Syria.[11] It was approved by a 10-7 vote.[12][11] The vote came after a three-hour briefing with top Obama administration officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.[12]

John Brennan CIA nomination

Flake voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination.[14]

On March 6, 2013, Senator Rand Paul (R) led a 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's CIA Director nominee, John Brennan. Paul started the filibuster in order to highlight his concerns about the administration's drone policies. In particular, Paul said he was concerned about whether a drone could be used to kill an American citizen within the United States border without any due process involved. Paul and other civil liberties activists were critical of President Obama for not offering a clear response to the question. A total of 14 senators joined Paul in the filibuster -- 13 Republicans and one Democrat.[15][16][17]

Flake was one of the 13 Republican senators who joined Paul in his filibuster.[18][19]

According to the website Breitbart, 30 Republican senators did not support the filibuster.[20][21]

The day after the filibuster, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Paul, responding to the filibuster. Holder wrote, "Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on U.S. soil? The answer to that is no."[22]

Economy

Budget Debate, 2013

Flake missed the votes on the continuing appropriations resolution on September 27, 2013. He was home attending the wedding of his son. He tweeted, "Not supporting cloture on CR. Rate of spending exceeds budget cap in BCA and little chance for any real opportunity to cut spending." The continuing resolution passed the Senate, after having the Obamacare defunding language removed, with a vote of 54 - 44.[23]

No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013

Flake voted against H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspended the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.[24]

Immigration

Completion of fence along Mexico border

Flake voted against Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.[25]

Gang of Eight

Flake is a member of the group of senators deemed the "Gang of Eight." This term is used to reference eight of the most influential Senators on immigration reform and includes four senators from each party.[26] The group calls for comprehensive and bipartisan immigration legislation that includes their "four basic pillars":

1. A “tough but fair path to citizenship . . . .contingent upon securing our borders and tracking whether legal immigrants have left the country as required”;

4. Setting up a system for admitting future workers (although the term “guest worker” is not used).[27]

Social Issues

Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013

Flake voted for S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.[28]

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Flake voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 151 Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[29]

Campaign themes

2012

Excerpt: "One of the primary functions of the federal government is to provide national security, which includes border security. With a southern border so porous, and increasingly dangerous, the federal government continues to fail in this most basic function"

Healthcare

Excerpt: "Our healthcare system is badly in need of reform, but Obamacare is not the answer. We need a healthcare system that relies on choice and competition to improve quality and control cost."

Government Spending

Excerpt: "With the national debt over $14 trillion and this year's budget deficit estimated to be $1.65 trillion, we absolutely must get serious about cutting government spending. To put those numbers into perspective, each taxpayer in America is responsible for nearly $130,000 in U.S. debt. We must act now to get our fiscal house in order."

Government Reform

Excerpt: "For years I've been railing against the egregious practice of earmarking in Congress. I led the fight against earmarks when it was a lonely battle, and after 10 years it's great to see the new leaders in Washington have gotten the message. Both the House and Senate have instituted moratoriums on earmarks this Congress."

Education

Excerpt: "I've long been an advocate for school choice, parental control, and states' rights when it comes to education. Arizona parents and teachers do not need federal bureaucrats telling them how to educate their students. Before I was elected to Congress, I advocated for school choice in Arizona and was involved in efforts to establish Arizona's landmark charter school law."

Polls

2012

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Flake is available dating back to 2000. Based on available campaign finance records, Flake raised a total of $13,044,861 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 25, 2013.[40]

2012

Flake won election to the U.S. Senate in 2012. During that election cycle, Flake's campaign committee raised a total of $9,026,106 and spent $9,556,220.[41] This is less than the average $10.2 million spent by Senate winners in 2012.[42]

Cost per vote

Flake spent $8.65 per vote received in 2012.

U.S. Senate, Arizona, 2012 - Jeff Flake Campaign Contributions

Total Raised

$9,026,106

Total Spent

$9,556,220

Total Raised by Election Runner-up

$6,459,739

Total Spent by Election Runner-up

$6,373,544

Top contributors to Jeff Flake's campaign committee

Club for Growth

$913,237

Senate Conservatives Fund

$106,665

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold

$51,000

US Airways

$48,800

Knight Transportation

$35,500

Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee

Republican/Conservative

$1,043,213

Retired

$532,214

Leadership PACs

$424,033

Real Estate

$232,600

Securities & Investment

$230,050

Out-of-state donations

According to an Open Secrets report, Flake ranked among the top ten senate candidates receiving out-of-state donations during the 2012 election cycle. He received $3,105,010, or 52.3%, of his donations from outside of Arizona. [43]

2010

Breakdown of the source of Flake's campaign funds before the 2010 election.

Flake won election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that election cycle, Flake's campaign committee raised a total of $538,758 and spent $774,232.[44]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Flake missed 1 of 92 roll call votes from January 2013 to March 2013. This amounts to 1.1%, which is better than the median of 1.7% among current senators as of March 2013.[46]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Flake paid his congressional staff a total of $987,119 in 2011. He ranked 182nd on the list of the lowest paid Republican representative staff salaries and ranked 244th overall of the lowest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Arizona ranked 47th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[47]

Net worth

2011

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Flake's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between -$234,998 and $299,999. That averages to $32,500, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican senators in 2011 of $6,358,668. His average net worth decreased by 50.00% from 2010.[48]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Flake's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $-219,997 and $349,999. That averages to $65,001, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[49]